A homeless man smashed a window at a Dundee garage shortly after being released early from jail because he wanted to go back.
John Hayward, 31, repeatedly threw stones at the window of the Jet Garage on Forfar Road on Sunday.
When police arrived he told them: “I’ve just broken that window – nick me.”
Dundee Sheriff Court heard Hayward had not expected to be released early from his sentence, having served half a four-month term.
Defence solicitor Angela McLardy said: “He wished to return to prison.
“He is homeless.
“He told police he would continue to offend (if he wasn’t arrested).
“He is seeking a custodial sentence.
“He believes he can get help there.”
Sheriff Jillian Martin-Brown returned him to prison for four months.
Rammed from road
A dangerous driver rammed off the road by police in Dundee has avoided a prison sentence despite prior warnings he faced jail. Marley Williams, 22, was already disqualified when he was spotted speeding through the city and was only stopped when police rammed his car. Instead of prison, he will be sent on a specialist behaviour improvement course in the Angus Glens.
Drink-drive urban myth
A drink-drive suspect had a mouthful of coins when he traced by police.
James Walton was stopped by officers on Perth’s Dunkeld Road just after 5am on October 21.
The 28-year-old refused to be breathalysed.
“At this time, he had coins in his mouth,” said fiscal depute Elizabeth Hodgson.
Sheriff Euan Duthie noted: “There’s an urban legend that that makes a difference to the breathalyser, isn’t there?”
Walton, of Barossa Place, Perth, admitted failing to provide two samples of breath at Perth Police Office.
Solicitor David Holmes, defending, said: “He regrets this matter and pleads guilty at the first opportunity.”
Sheriff Duthie said he was considering imposing unpaid work and deferred sentence until December 7.
Dumbest crook
A man dubbed Scotland’s dumbest criminal left a court bail order document – complete with his name and address – at the scene of a break-in. Hapless David McGregor previously broke a hip when he leaped from the window of a house he had raided. He needed five enemas to remove the jewellery he had stolen and swallowed.
Petrol threat
Leona Reynolds, 37, said she would to blow up a petrol station after being denied entry to homeless hostel, Gilven House, in Glenrothes.
At Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court she admitted behaving in a threatening and abusive manner at the hostel on September 8 2020 and to assaulting a police officer at Kirkcaldy police station the following day.
The court heard a Fife Council employee answered a buzzer at 11.30pm and saw Reynolds on CCTV but refused to let her in.
She began banging on windows and doors and while police officers took her into custody, stated she “would blow up the petrol station”.
The following morning she spat at a police sergeant as he opened the hatch to her cell.
Her solicitor said Reynolds had been taken off medication by a doctor and had “got herself into a bit of bother”.
He said she had no memory of the incident but was “disgusted” by her actions.
She has now been put back on the medication and had not offended since.
Reynolds, who appeared by video link from Cornton Vale prison, was jailed for 12 months.
Kitten fraud
A Fife woman has been convicted of fraud after “selling” customers kittens which had already been seized by the Scottish SPCA. After a two-day trial at Dunfermline Sheriff Court, Samantha Piaget was convicted of two charges.
